162 A VOYAGE' TO Book VII, 



of this province from north to south is betwixt twenty- 

 six and twcntj-eioht leagues. Its temperature is in 

 general cold and very disagreeable, the frosts eonti- 

 nuiug one half of tiie year, and the other either snow 

 or hail is continually falling. Accordingly the only 

 esculent productions of the vegetable kingdom arc the 

 papas and quinoas. _ The inhabitants have however 

 a very beneficial trade with their cattle, which abound 

 in this jurisdiction, by salting and drying the flesh. 

 The traders who carry it to the coast exchange it for 

 brandy and wine; and those who g-o to Cochabamba, 

 carry also papas and quinoas, which they barter for 

 meal. 



All the mountains in this province have their silver 

 mines", and formerly produced largely, but at present 

 are totally abandoned. 



The territories of the province of Chucuito, are on 

 one side bounded by the lake of Titi-caca, the mag- 

 nitude of which merits some account to be given of 

 it. This lake lies between these provinces, compre- 

 hended under the general name of Calloa, and is of 

 all the known lakes of America, much the largest. 

 Its figure is somewhat oval, inclining nearly from 

 N. ^V. to S. E. its circumference is about 80 leagues, 

 a!5d the water, in some parts, 70 or 80 fathoms deep. 

 Ten or twelve large rivers, besides a great number of 

 smaller streams empty themselves into it. The water 

 of this lake, though neither bitter or braekish, is 

 turbid, and has in its taste soniething so nauseous that 

 it cannot be drank, it abouiuls with fish, of two op- 

 posite kinds ; one large and palatüble, wliieh the In- 

 dians call suehis ; the other small, insipid and bony, 

 termed long since by the Spaniards boyas. It has also 

 a great luunber^of geese and other wild fowl, and the 

 shores covered with flags and rushes, the materials of 

 which the bridges aré made, and of which an account 

 will be given la the sequel. . 



As 



